Shafaq News- Basra

On Tuesday, the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Vicariate in Basra and the Gulf condemned remarks by US President Donald Trump targeting Pope Leo as “offensive and irresponsible.”

In a statement, the Vicariate described the comments as a departure from “human and moral values,” stressing that the pope represents “a global symbol of love, peace, and tolerance among peoples.”

It emphasized that “diplomacy and mutual respect are the only path to building sound human relations,” particularly from a country that “claims leadership in democracy and human rights.”

The criticism followed an exchange over the war involving Iran, in which Pope Leo urged Trump to seek a path to end the conflict and stressed that attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law. Leo declared he had “no fear of the Trump administration” and would continue “speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel,” while the US president responded by describing the pope as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”